


Still

by Maixion



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Artist Sorey, Fluff, M/M, Musician Mikleo, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-07 17:03:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6814531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maixion/pseuds/Maixion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It can be difficult for a young man as bright and energetic as Sorey to sit still for long periods of time. But even he can find the gentle solace in those quiet moments. Although it does sometimes take a little guidance.</p><p>Currently on hiatus</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just Like Old Times

“Alright Sorey, we’re almost there… Take a right here… No Sorey, this way. Wait, are you peeking? Sorey, no peeking!” Mikleo teasingly scolded his friend and jabbed him in the side with his elbow. Sorey laughed as Mikleo continued leading him through the narrow caverns. 

“Okay, okay, I'm not looking!” The grin on his face looked permanently plastered there. One of his hands was held over his eyes, blocking out his vision, and the other lay securely on Mikleo’s arm as he guided him along. The water seraph could feel the soft locks of Sorey’s long hair brushing against his arm as they walked. As he turned a final corner, Sorey still attached to him, Mikleo nudged him to stop there.

“Okay Sorey, open your eyes.” Mikleo said with a little note of excitement in his voice, which only made Sorey’s goofy grin wider. As he removed his hand from his face, light brightened his eyes through old cracks in the ruin walls. Mikleo saw his eyes slowly adjust and focus onto the mural that Mikleo was motioning towards. His face contorted with a frown and the littlest crinkle in his nose that he got when he was deep in thought. The sight was too cute, the white haired seraph thought, and he was worried at this point that his grin was wide enough to crack.

“Hold on… Is this of me?!” Sorey’s eyes lit up as bright and as beautiful as they do when he's excited, and Mikleo can't help but laugh at the reaction.

“It is,” he walked over to the newly born seraph’s side. “I believe about two hundred years after you started your sleep. Some artists came in here to carve it. I assume it's up to your artistic standards, your Shepherdness?”

“Mikleo!” He poked at the other seraph’s side, hearing a short gasp and feeling him flinch. There was a small moment of realization and a mischievous smile now pointed in his direction, and he knew then that it was on. With a swift movement, Mikleo ducks the next of Sorey's attacks and his hands go straight under his arms. A brutal move. Sorey bursts out into an uncontrollable laughing fit as Mikleo tickles his armpits, tears twinkling the tips of his eyelashes and his smile stretching from ear to ear. He locks Mikleo’s arms in his, leans his own hands to the other’s waist, and tickles the spot with absolutely no mercy. Mikleo giggles and tries to wiggle out of Sorey's grasp without luck. Mikleo is able to get enough air to shout out his surrender, and after another playful poke, they look back at each other with tired grins and hints of affection shared between their gazes.

“Okay,” Mikleo huffs, still catching his breath. He flashes Sorey a warm, gentle smile. “What do you think?”

Without realizing, Sorey blurted out, “So beautiful.” Awkward silence. Sorey snaps his head toward the mural, and then back at Mikleo, and he finally understands. “Th-the mural, right!”

Mikleo stares at him for a few quiet moments, in slight confusion at what Sorey had just said. He can feel his face get warmer, but he brushes the comment off with an eye roll and a “Wow, smooth move, Sorey,” which only betrayed the flush rising to his cheeks.

Sorey laughs and brings a hand up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. He brings it back down to Mikleo’s and held his hand gently, fingers intertwined, only making his cheeks redder. “Well, the mural is beautiful, but you're even MORE beautiful.”

“...That was the cheesiest thing I have ever heard, Sorey.” Mikleo replies. “And I've heard your poetry.”

Sorey raises an eyebrow at the comment and gives him a lighthearted smile. “What? Is it really that bad?”

“Yes, it is really that bad. It's really, REALLY bad.”

Sorey and Mikleo share an amused laugh at Sorey’s expense. It all felt so natural and familiar to Mikleo, and he was delighted that Sorey felt the same. It was like the times they would share hundreds of years earlier as kids, under a clear blue sky in Elysia, the light breeze tousling their hair as they ran and played, sunlight filling the eyes of two innocent youths who had yet to see the evils of the world. Even after 600 long and lonely years waiting for his Sorey, his one and only, nothing felt different. He looked back up into his eyes, ‘like looking into a deep, sparkling pond’ he thought, but suppressed it.

“What do you think, Sorey? Wanna head back?” Mikleo grins kindly at him.

Sorey looks at him, then gazes back at the mural. “Um, actually…” He digs around in his bag and tugs out a rough looking pad of paper, a bottle of ink, and a quill.

“Ah, I see… You're going to draw the mural.” Mikleo observed. He knew how much Sorey loved to draw, especially for others. It was like the sketchbook had been an extension of him since they were young. While he wasn't so good at putting poetry into words, his art had a language so eloquent and divine that words could not compare. It's the kind of thing people wouldn't expect a guy like Sorey to be so talented in. But to Mikleo, this was as common knowledge as knowing the grass is green or water is wet.

“Well, not entirely.” He rubbed his neck sheepishly again. “I was just thinking about how empty the mural looks, and…” He looked at Mikleo with a gentle admiration. “I was going to draw the mural with you in it too.”

Mikleo looked back at him with surprise at first, but then that surprise melted into a small smile and slightly rosy cheeks. He walks up to the spot in front of the mural where Sorey now sat sketching and plopped down next to him, shoulder to shoulder. He snuggled his head into Sorey’s neck, resting it on his shoulder and breathing in the scent of his long, now blonde hair. Mikleo felt Sorey’s head nuzzle into his as Mikleo closed his eyes peacefully. It was such a content feeling, just being close to Sorey, feeling him there next to him. His first eighteen years were spent cherishing the moments they had together, short and fleeting as they were. As seraph and human, they could never spend their entire lives together. And now, Mikleo didn't have to worry about the threat of lost time. 

They have an eternity now, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this first chapter took me way longer than it should have, with me finishing out high school and everything. This is my first fan fiction that I've written in about two years. This idea actually first came about as a little "Sorey draws, Mikleo has musical talent, etc." kind of headcanon, but it got so long I just went screw it and wrote this. I'm planning to have four chapters in no particular order or sequence of events, two with each different perspective. Hope you enjoyed, and please comment to let me know what you think!


	2. Lost in a Melody

This kind of thing never failed to put a smile on Sorey’s face. Mikleo’s fingers tapped away at the keys of his flute so nimbly and naturally he could probably play the song with his eyes closed. The notes flowed clean and gentle, like streams of water, and the wonderful sound filled the bedroom of Sorey’s house as he closed his eyes peacefully. Listening to Mikleo play was such a relaxing yet incredible experience. He had so much talent and he worked so hard to improve. It was such a shame that not many other people got the chance to hear him play. So confident, so pretty, so, so pretty…

Mikleo finished out the song with a low, drawn out note and gently placed his flute on his lap, closing his eyes. Sorey couldn't hold in his excitement anymore, and began loudly clapping his hands for Mikleo’s performance. The water seraph nearly jumped out of his skin at the commotion as his flute rolled off his lap and landed with a loud clacking sound at his feet.

“Sorey!” he scolded, carefully picking the instrument back up and setting it next to him on the bed.

Sorey laughed. “Sorry, Mik. I just couldn't help it! You're so good at this, I can tell you're improving more and more!”

“You think so?”

“Totally!” Sorey added. “Kinda makes me wish you had taught me how to play when we were young. We could have put on a duet!”

Mikleo chuckled. Since they were just toddlers, both of them were so willing to try anything they could get their hands on. While little Sorey favored making doodles of all the seraphim in Elysia, Mikleo had always shown a keen interest in the art of music. When the two weren't together, which was a rare occurrence, Mikleo would follow Taccio to the edge of Elysia and watch him play a little ocarina he had made himself. The seraph child was so fascinated by the soothing melody, and would ask question upon question about the little instrument. Finally, Taccio decided to make Mikleo his very own ocarina, which earned him a big hug and giddy thanks, something that, to Sorey’s disappointment, couldn't be ushered out of him by anyone anymore. 

Afterwards, Mikleo was kind enough to let Sorey try his hand at it, but he never got much enjoyment out of it. What really made him smile was when Mikleo played for him. What started out as a mess of squeaks and jumbled notes evolved into glorious and intricate melodies that little Sorey could sit and listen to for hours and hours. Them he got his first flute, and his musical abilities only improved more. It made Sorey’s heart swell with pride, he was so talented, and his beautiful personality always showed through in his graceful, elegant music. And he would sit and listen at every opportunity. For him, Sorey thought, he would give all his time.

When he returned from his thoughts of days long past and questions that hung on the tip of his tongue, Mikleo stared back at him with a look of confusion. “Oh,” Sorey realized. He had been stuck in his head too long, and Mikleo was now giving him an odd look.

“Sorry, sorry,” He waved his hands in front of his face. “It's nothing, I was just thinking, um…”

“You want me to teach you how to play.” This was less of a question and more like a statement. Mikleo blinked, but otherwise his face showed no sign of doubt or contemplation. Sheesh, did Mikleo really know him that well?

After the initial shock, Sorey’s face brightened into an endearing and giddy smile. “Really? You would?!”

Mikleo smiled and shook his head, patting the spot next to him on their shared bed. Sorey pushed himself up from his sitting position on the floor and plopped down next to Mikleo.

“Thanks a lot, Mikleo.”

“It's nothing Sorey.”

“Maybe sometime I could teach you to draw!” Sorey elbowed Mikleo playfully. “Wouldn't that be fun? We could spend more time together that way.”

“More time? I don't think there's even that much time in a day.” Mikleo elbowed him back.

“You're so cute, you know that?”

“Just take the flute, Sorey”

He laughed as Mikleo handed him (or more like jabbed him with) his flute. Sorey cradled the instrument in his hands like he would a precious artifact. Mikleo then moved behind Sorey’s right shoulder to where he could position his hands in the right spot.

“Okay, move your left hand to these keys, face the palm this way…” He guided his hand to just the right spot, his touch still lingering on his own hand. Sorey watched him with a soft smile on his face. He could feel his cheeks heat up as he waited for a moment when Mikleo wasn't paying attention, then quickly planted a kiss onto the water seraph’s cheek. 

“Sorey, I can and will push you off this bed.” Sorey laughed at the lighthearted threat, watching the edges of his mouth twitch in an effort to avoid smiling and observed the redness on his face.

“See what I meant? You are cute!”

“The offer still stands, you know?”

“I wouldn't call that an offer.”

Once Mikleo finally got the taller boy to cooperate and placed his hands on the right keys, he went back to sit on Sorey’s left. “Now, just curve the mouthpiece a little bit more and blow.”

Sorey took a long, deep breath, puffing his cheeks out in an absurd way, and blew into the mouthpiece. No sound came out, and Sorey looked back at the flute puzzled.

“Don't blow straight into the mouthpiece. And blow a little softer.” Sorey tried several more times, turning the slender instrument more each time according to Mikleo’s directions. At first, it didn't look like they were getting anywhere. When it almost seemed to be a lost cause, a sound lightly resembling a flute noise filled the room.

“I did it, I did it, Mikleo!” He shouted like an excited child, pumping his fist into the air. Mikleo laughed loudly at his outburst, clutching his stomach. The two of them laughed together until they gradually calmed down and lay back on the bed, shoulder to shoulder. The shorter boy took the flute and set it at his side as the taller of the two linked their hands together with a sweet smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. 

“That was barely a note, but… Good job, Sorey. That was very good for your first time.”

“Could you teach me more sometime?” Sorey asked, turning his head to look into his violet eyes. “Like how to play different notes?”

“Oh, I don't know.” Mikleo replied. “You were a terrible student.”

Sorey paused for a few seconds, contemplating his next question. He was sure he already knew what Mikleo’s answer would be, but he shook his head and decided to press his luck anyway. “Do you think… You could sing for me again? You know, like you did when we were kids?”

Mikleo rose into a sitting position at the edge of the bed. His face contorted with a displeased scowl. “Not a chance. I don't sing in front of people anymore, you know that.”

“Oh, come on, you have a beautiful voice. Please sing just once,” Sorey sat next to him, resting his chin on the other’s shoulder and putting on a mischievous smile. “Musikleo.”

“Okay, you're definitely getting pushed off the bed now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we reach the midway point! I had a small struggle with myself over what instrument I thought Mikleo would play and ended up settling with an ocarina for little Mik, cause I've heard they're easy to pick up, and a flute just seemed so fitting! (and also much easier for me to write having played a flute for 8 years) Updates will probably take longer since I want to put a little more work in these last two chapters, plus I gotta fight through a few personal setbacks at the moment. Me and my terrible luck aside, hope you enjoyed!


End file.
